Quote from Angela Waterfield on 12 March 2025, 8:59 PM

You know that kid who’s always getting sent to the principal’s office? At some point, you have to ask: is it the school… or is it just the kid? Well, if Amazon were a student, it would have a permanent seat in detention. From price-fixing to privacy invasions, this tech giant has faced more lawsuits than a bad reality TV star. Let’s take a walk down the courtroom aisle and see where the smoke has turned into legal fire.

Amazon’s Greatest Hits (of Litigation)

1997: Barnes & Noble Lawsuit – The "Biggest Bookstore" Battle

• May 12, 1997: Barnes & Noble sued Amazon, basically calling it out for false advertising. Amazon had claimed to be "the world's largest bookstore," and Barnes & Noble wasn’t having it. The case settled out of court, meaning Amazon got to keep bragging rights, just with a little less enthusiasm.

1998: Walmart Lawsuit – The "You Stole My Employees!" Scandal

• October 16, 1998: Walmart threw a fit and sued Amazon for allegedly swiping its former executives and using their trade secrets. The case was settled, and Amazon agreed to reshuffle some employees—because nothing screams "totally innocent" like some good ol' internal reassignments.

2004: Soverain Software Patent Lawsuit – The Shopping Cart Caper

• January 12, 2004: Amazon found itself in hot water for allegedly infringing on Soverain Software’s online shopping cart patent. Instead of dragging it out, Amazon settled for $40 million. That’s an expensive cart full of groceries!

2010: Macmillan E-book Pricing Dispute – The "Who Gets to Overcharge Readers?" Fight

• January 2010: Amazon yanked Macmillan books from its site during a dramatic standoff over e-book pricing. Eventually, they made up, but not before proving that book pricing drama is way more intense than anyone expected.

2014: Hachette Book Group Dispute – The "Amazon vs. Authors" Smackdown

• 2014: Amazon and Hachette had a public spat about book prices. Amazon played hardball by delaying shipments and removing discounts, making it clear that even authors weren’t immune to its battlefield-style business tactics.

2020: Antitrust Investigations – The "Are We a Monopoly? Who, Us?" Episode

• July 2020: The U.S. House Antitrust Subcommittee put Amazon under the microscope to figure out whether it was crushing the competition like a boot on an ant. The investigation is ongoing, but the general consensus? If it looks like a monopoly and acts like a monopoly...

2021: E-book Price-Fixing Lawsuit – The "Déjà Vu" Case

• January 2021: Amazon allegedly conspired with publishers to keep e-book prices artificially high. This is what happens when you don’t learn from your previous fights with publishers. However, it's worth noting that this round went to Amazon.

2023: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Antitrust Lawsuit – The "You Again?" Special

• September 26, 2023: The FTC and 17 states decided Amazon was getting too big for its britches and filed a lawsuit, accusing it of maintaining an illegal monopoly. The trial is scheduled for October 2026—plenty of time for Amazon to "restructure" a few things.

2025: Quebec Warehouse Closures – The "Labor Dispute of the North" (Mon Dieu!)

• January 22, 2025: Amazon announced it was closing seven warehouses in Quebec, leaving 1,700 employees without jobs. The official reason? "Business strategy." The suspected real reason? Unions.
• February 4, 2025: The affected workers’ union, CSN, filed a lawsuit, calling Amazon out for its suspiciously timed closures. Because nothing says "we respect labor rights" like shutting everything down.
• February 6, 2025: A Montreal resident took it to another level by suing Amazon for breaching its Prime delivery promise, because when all else fails, Canadians will fight for their right to two-day shipping.

2025: Consumer Location Data Tracking Lawsuit – The "We See You" Saga

• January 29, 2025: A class-action lawsuit was filed in California, accusing Amazon of tracking users through third-party apps without consent. Just when you thought Google was the only one watching you...

 Where There’s Smoke, There’s Bezos

If Amazon were a person, it would be that student who insists they’re always being unfairly targeted—despite a permanent record that says otherwise. With more legal drama than a courtroom TV show, one thing is clear: as long as Amazon keeps pushing boundaries, the lawsuits will keep rolling in. Whether it’s labor rights, monopolistic tendencies, or privacy concerns, the question isn’t if Amazon will be sued again—it’s when and for what this time? Stay Tuned!
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